Pneumatic straw-stacker



' (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

I. P. LANDIS. PNEUMATIC STRAW STAGKER- N 541,935 Patented July .2, 1895.

81mm Tot 35 3 afio'amu Hartman b 'ra'rns PATENT rrrcn.

FRANK F. LANDIS, OF WAYNESBOROUGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

PNEUMATIC STRAW-STACKER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 541,936, dated July 2, 1895.

Application filed December 19, 1894. $crial No. 532,338- (No model.)

To all zit/horn it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK F. LANDIS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Waynesborough, in the county of Franklin and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Pneumatic Straw- Staokers; and I do hereby declare the following, to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to pneumatic straw stackers used in connection with thrashing machines; and it consists in the novel construction and combination of the parts hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a cross-section through the end portion of a thrashing-machine, taken on the line or a: in Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section taken on the line y y in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a sectional view showing a modification of the discharger shown in Fig. 1.

A is the end portion of the casing of a thrashing machine of any approved construction.

A is the rear end of the straw shaker, and a. is the rear end of the ohaffe'r.

B is the straw chamber at the rear end of the machine. The straw falls into this chamgle piece and secured outside the casing A at one end of the chamber B, by the flange c.

D is the discharger secured upon the shaft 0' inside the discharger casing and revolved by means of the belt pulley c secured on the end of the shaft.

The discharger casing communicates with the straw chamber through the opening B; and b is the delivery passage of the pneumatic straw stacker.

The discharger consists essentially of a web plate or disk secured upon a shaft and provided with arms which catch the straw, when the shaft is revolved rapidly, and forcibly project it up the delivery passage. The discharger draws in air fromthe straw chamber with the straw, and this current of air assists in causing the straw to enter the discharger casing and in propelling it up the delivery passage.

The discharger may be constructed in many various ways in carrying out the present invention provided it is adapted to draw in air with the straw. For instance it may be constructed as described in the patent issued to me on April 3, 1894,, No. 517, 525, or in Patent No. 512,553, dated January 9, 1894, or as shown in various other patents of record issued to me.

In Fig. 1 the discharger shaft 0 is shown extending through the straw chamber and journaled in two bearings, arranged one at each end of the shaft. In the modification shown in Fig. 3, the shaft does not extend through. the straw chamber and it is journaled in one or more bearings secured to the discharger casing. Two bearings 3 and 4are preferably provided, and are furnished with,

liners of Babbitt metal. These bearings are preferably formed integral with the casing and have a chamber 3 between them for holding sponge or other absorbent material and oil, so that the bearings may be constantly kept lubricated.

E are feed fingers which revolve with the discharger, and which are arranged inside the straw chamber at the entrance to the discharger casing. In Fig. 1 these fingers are shown secured to the shaft, and in Fig. 3 a hub 5 is formed on the discharger to which they may be secured, but it is immaterial whether they be secured to the discharger hub or to the shaft provided they revolve with the discharger,but they may be omitted altogether.

- The operation of the discharger upon the straw is the same as described in the hereinbefore mentioned Patent No. 512,553.

The fingers E are preferably curved toward the discharger, and are also curved rearwardly in the opposite direction to the direction of the revolution of the discharger, which is indicated by the arrows in the drawings. erably curved forward, the better to enable the fingers to whirl around the straw at the entrance to the discharger casing, and to guide and propel it into thesaid casing. Various other forms of feeding or propelling The tips of the feed fingers are prefdevices may be used if desired, as, for instance, the toothed barrel shown in the before mentioned Patent No. 512,553, or the feed mechanism on the discharger shaft may be dispensed with. When the straw meets the said feed fingers or other equivalent feeding mechanism, it is partially re-thrashed in the straw chamber, and any grain which may remain mixed with the straw is knocked out and falls to the bottom of the straw chamber, together with a little grain which separates from the straw and chaff by gravity as they fall through the straw chamber.

The bottom of the straw chamber consists of a grate formed of a series of slats F, which are preferably inclined upwardly toward the discharger, and the endsf of the straw chamber are preferably inclined as shown in Fig. 2, so that the slats do not have to be very long.

G is an endless conveyer belt of open material, such as net, provided with projections g. This belt passes over the flanged carriers h h which are'mounted on the shafts H H. The shaft H is journaled in bearings '5 outside the casingAand is provided with means for revolving it. The upper part of the con veyer belt slides over the slats F, and its lower part is in close proximity to the bottom of the conveyer trough I.

l is a'guide plate or projection at the end of the trough to prevent any grain from slipping into the discharger casing.

Any approved mechanism maybe used for driving the eonveyer, and when the shaft 0 extends through the straw chamber a convenient arrangement is that shown in Fig. 1.

J is a belt pulley secured on the shaft 0, and J is a belt pulley journaled on a pin j carried by a bracketj which is secured to the end of the casing A.

K is a belt passing around the pulleysJand J; and his a beveled toothed pinion secured to the pulley J. The pinion 7c gears into a beveled toothed wheel secured on the conveyer shaft H, so that the conveyer is operated continuously from the shaft 0.

The grain falls through the conveyor belt and through the slats F which form the bottom of the straw chamber. The projections on the upper side of the conveyer belt assist in propelling the straw toward the discharger, and those on the under side next to the bottom of the trough propel the grain in the trough and discharge it out of the open end an of the trough.

The discharger draws air through the air inlet or open end m of the trough in the direction of the arrows. This air carries all chaff and light rubbish, which may fall into the trough, into the discharger casing.

N is a hopper for catching the clean grain which is discharged from the trough, and N is an elevator of any approved vconstruction for raising the grain from the hopper to any convenient point.

I may variously modify the details of construction in carrying out thisinventiou. For instance, instead of a grate formed of slats F, I may use a grate of perforated material such as used in a lip riddle; and instead of using belts and flanged carrier wheels in constructing the conveyer, I may use link belts and sprocket wheels,these devices being the mere mechanical equivalents of those shown in the drawings.

I am aware that it is not new to interpose a re-winnowing device between a thrashing machine and a pneumatic straw stacker, but in all cases where a pneumatic stacker has been used and its inlet connected to the straw chamber at the rear end of the thrashing machine, the supply of air for the stackerwas drawn through the separating devices of the thrashing machine and some grain was in consequence drawn over into the straw stacker and discharged by it with the straw together with some grain which remained mixed with the straw.

What I claim is 1. The combination, with the rear end portion of a thrashing machine provided with a straw chamber having a grate at its bottom and communicating directly with the outer air through the said grate; of a pneumatic discharger havingits inlet opening connected directly to the said straw chamber above the grate and operating to draw in a supply of air through the said grate without passing through the thrashing machine, said grate also affording an outlet for any grain separated from the straw in the straw chamber above the said grate, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination,with the rear end portion of a thrashing machine provided with a straw chamber having a grate at its bottom, the space above the grate communicating directly with the interior of the thrashing machine and the space below the grate communicating directly with the outer air; of a pneumatic discharger having its inlet opening connected directly to the space above the said grate and operating to draw in air and straw, the said straw being subjected to the action of the incoming air before it enters the discharger and any grain remaining in the straw being permitted to fall through the grate, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination, with the rear end portion of a thrashing machine provided with a straw chamber having a grate at its bottom, the space above the grate communicating directly with the interior of the thrashing ma chine and the space below the grate communicating directly with the outer air; of a pneumatic discharger having its inlet opening connected to the said straw chamber and operating to draw in air from the space below the said grate and straw from the space above it; and feeding devices arranged in the said IO eating material between the two bearings, the

said bearings and chamber being formed integral with the said casing, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FRANK F. LANDIS. Witnesses:

T. S. CUNNINGHAM, '1. B. SMITH. 

